Summary of Passage
In the third of the apostle John's letters, he writes to a dear friend and expresses a deep joy because of all the things that he is hearing about his friend's life. This friend named Gaius has been serving both members of the church as well as other strangers who are fellow believers. Although he has been faithful, however, there are members such as Diotrephes who do things because of selfish motives and action make it more difficult for others within the church to serve God. John urges all of us to avoid imitating this and to do what is good. He then ends a letter by looking forward to a time when he could speak to them face-to-face.
Focus Verse 3 John 3:11 Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.
Reflection: Whenever I read the Bible, I am always struck by how truly realistic it is. Although it contains many promises of God which strengthen us and give us hope, the Bible is not afraid to show how life is touched by sin. John points to clear examples of faithful service such as with Gaius but also exposes evil even within the church itself. I pray that our lives would be presented authentically so that we do not project a picture of complete serenity and instead shows the way in which we need the grace of God. We should expect God's glory to shine in our weakness as we are honest with each other as well as nonbelievers about the struggles that we have and the way that God met us in our pain.
As he has previously stated in his previous letters, the apostle John looks forward to physically meeting with others. If there is anything that this pandemic has taught us, it is the absolute need for physical contact between humans. I pray that we would never take such occasions in the future for granted and to truly cherish each other.
Prayer
Dear God.
We will continue to thank you for the church and for the example of so many believers that both inspire and strengthen us during times of struggle as well as times of joy. We ask that You help us to constantly examine ourselves to make sure that our motives are pure and inspired by you. We thank you for the gift of fellowship and look forward to the day when not only can we see each other face-to-face but also when we shall see you as you truly are.
